Not since Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker main event has a player’s name fitted an occasion so appropriately as it did when Nathan Gamble emerged victorious in the 2017 WSOP $1,500 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better event. For the win the 27-year-old Texan earned his first gold bracelet and the top prize of $223,339.

“Right now, I’m in shock,” Gamble told WSOP reporters after coming out on top. “Pot-limit Omaha and pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better, I used to play it growing up as like a 13 or 14-year-old kid. So, I have extreme confidence coming into this. I’ve played four Omaha tournaments this WSOP and cashed in three. So honestly, I felt better going into this than any other event.”

“My Dad put together tournaments, just home game and has always supported me in this,” Gamble said after coming out on top. “And honestly, he doesn’t have a chance of getting one. So, this one goes to him. It means the world to me.”

Gamble came into the final day in 14th chip position with 21 players remaining. There was plenty of tough competion to deal with along the way, including three-time bracelet winner Barry Greenstein (14th – $9,513), Barny Boatman (12th – $12,034), Kevin Saul (11th – $12,034) and two-time bracelet winner Marco Johnson (5th – $49,379). Johnson had finished third in this event the previous year and incredibly came close to improving on that showing despite there being 830 entrants in the field this year.

Gamble eliminated Johnson, and then proceeded to knock out the next three opponents in rapid succession in order to capture the title. After taking out Mike Gross in 4th place ($68,544) and Ray Henson in third place ($96,555) Gamble took more than a 9-to-1 chip lead into heads-up play against Adam Hendrix.

“Let’s get this done in one hand,” Gamble said as he and Hendrix saw a flop of J83. Gamble bet out for 120,000 and Hendrix raised all in. Gamble called with the KQJ8 for top two pair and a flush draw. Hendrix had the 101042 for a low draw and a pair. The 8 on the turn gave Gamble eights full of jacks, and the K on the river secured him the entire pot and the title. Hendrix earned $137,992 as the runner up.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:

PlacePlayerEarnings (USD)POY Points

1
Nathan Gamble
$223,339
912

2
Adam Hendrix
$137,992
760

3
Ray Henson
$96,555
608

4
Michael Gross
$68,544
456

5
Marco Johnson
$49,379
380

6
Miguel Use
$36,106
304

7
Fernando Macia
$26,803
228

8
Millard Hale
$20,205
152

9
Wendy Weissman
$15,470
76

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2017 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

If you can’t make it down to the WSOP at the Rio, you can still play with BetOnline Poker. Click the banner below for more information. Card Player readers are eligible for an initial deposit bonus offer of 100 percent up to $2,500. Enter code ‘NEWBOL’